*Isabella*

Dust—thick and red—coats everything, clingin’ to my skin, my clothes, my hair. It is a far cry from the lush green hills of Tennessee, where willows dip their branches into cool streams. That life feels like a dream now. This place is different. Harsh, untamed… but it is ours.

For days, we scouted the land, searchin’ for the right place to settle. And then, we found it. A valley nestled between the pines and the open prairie, with a river runnin’ nearby and enough game to keep our bellies full through the winter. The land is rough, but it is rich. The air is clean, the sky endless. This...